C H A P T E R X X X V I I
TH E L A S T STAG E
EA R L Y dawn again finds us moving on the face
of the waters. Grey mists brood over them, and
wisps of cloud lie low in the valleys and athwart the
hills. The faint sunlight of o the morninog adds to the
ghostly character of the scene. Tremendous precipices
tower up against the . sky. A great stillness broods
over all. The unreality of things lies insistent on the
spirit.
The channel of the main river is broken up by
great masses of white rock, half-hidden under willows.
The current runs swiftly under the east bank, which
is deeply and sumptuously wooded. Looking down
from an eminence on to the river, I obtain a full impression
of its savage and desolate character. But all
along the banks, and under the lee of the white rocks,
there are places of miniature and exquisite beauty;,
mirror-like pools and sheltered inlets, where the clear
water glints green.
At Kamaule there is a village,, and the river is
crossed by successive cables of twisted cane to hold
the derelict logs. Each cable is the property of a
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KAMAULE